The Operations SIG will be at the AHEP Annual Conference and Exhibition, representing your favourite HE generalist population with all the flair and charisma you have come to expect. We’ll look forward to seeing SIG members and future members in Glasgow!
As we all know, Operations is a broad church, and the below list of sessions, while it may be of particular interest to Ops and Ops-curious colleagues, is in no way exhaustive. We encourage you to take a look at the full conference programme and see what floats your boat!
If you haven’t yet booked your tickets to attend then what are you waiting for? Browse the various packages available and secure your place at the Conference now.
Sunday, 1 June
Sunday Social – Sunday, 1 June from 18:00
Who doesn’t enjoy an alliteratively-named event? The Sunday Social is a great opportunity to kick off your Conference in style, meeting other SIG members and colleagues from across AHEP, as well as enjoying a welcome drink, a two-course buffet and themed activities including caber tossing (perhaps best undertaken before one has too many more drinks)
Monday, 2 June
Welcome Breakfast: Connect with AHEP Networks & Special Interest Groups – Monday, 2 June from 08:00-09:00
Whether it’s Operational Orange Juice or Muffin T’Ops that catch your eye, we are looking forward to connecting with other SIGs and AHEP Networks at the Welcome Breakfast! This should be a great session with some opportunities for networking, conversation, and of course arguably the most important meal of the day, to start your Monday off right.
109: Professional Development: What, Why, How? – Monday from 10:25
Professional Development is so often a self-directed process for those in generalist roles, and this session will equip participants with some different angles of approach to consider professional development for themselves and their teams – with the current financial climate very much in mind. Alongside well-respected Good Eggs Rachel Reeds and Joanne Caldwell, your very own David Duell is co-leading this session (but is in no way biased about what you should attend).
111: So you want to be a contributor: Development Monthly live write – Monday from 10:25
One of our aims as a SIG has always been to platform the voices of the Operations community – and what role we can play in contributing on a number of fronts. This session gives colleagues a platform to contribute to AHEP Development Monthly in the spirit of the conference theme – Sustainability. If colleagues attend this session, we’d love to get their input and feedback on ways we may do more as a SIG to share the voices of the community!
203: The Strengths Advantage: Elevate your Work and Energise your Team – Monday from 14:10
Again on the theme of development, this session by Strengthify should provide benefit to colleagues whether or not they are in leadership roles. Particularly when we in Operations are often unsung heroes and sometimes isolated from peers within our structures, this session is likely to offer a positive approach to development which will equip participants with the chance to align their strengths with the needs of their roles
209: Generative AI for University Leaders & Managers – Monday from 14:10
Who among us has not spent the last 6-12 months hearing about automation and AI? This will be a fantastic session for those who are beginners or intermediate users of GenAI tools and if you are charged with driving efficiency or professional development in your local area, this session will almost certainly be of interest. With a great mix of practical applications and context, this will be of interest to many of us!
Tuesday, 3 June
308: I come from the land Down Under – exploring the Australasian Higher Education sector – Tuesday from 10:20
It’s often surprising how much we can learn from the Australasian Higher Education Sector. There are a lot of similarities but also some instructive differences. Particularly interesting for colleagues with senior teams who are looking Down Under for ideas and inspiration, this session will give context to any aspirations or plans informed by the Australasian HE Sector.
406: People Count: what data on our staff can tell us about the sustainability of our organisations – Tuesday from 13:25
In an increasingly data-driven era, with an eye on efficiencies, this session will tap into areas with which a lot of us will be involved. If you find yourself caught up in things like benchmarking or workforce planning, this session may be of interest and if you have a more general curiosity about the value and meaning of staff data, it’s definitely worth checking this session out!
407: Stakeholder Management and Engagement: Developing your stakeholder relationships so your projects can thrive – Tuesday from 13:25
In many cases, as Operations professionals, the network is invaluable. And certainly when we are involved in projects, particularly if we haven’t had formal project management training, we may apply some of the same principles we use in networking, to stakeholder management. This session will offer an expert perspective on stakeholder management in the context of projects and will be of benefit to those of us who currently have a little Projects in our Operations, and those who don’t (yet..!)